MONTPELIER – Gov. Peter Shumlin announced today that he has tapped Orange County Deputy State’s Attorney Michael Kainen to serve as state’s attorney in Windsor County, effective March 23.

Kainen will replace current Windsor County State’s Attorney Robert Sand, who is joining the Shumlin administration to help redefine drunk-driving sentencing and treatment efforts to reduce recidivism rates.

In addition to serving as deputy state’s attorney in Orange County, Kainen teaches criminal justice and other legal courses at the Community College of Vermont.

He was an attorney with Hayes and Windish, PC, from 2008 to 2011, focusing on civil litigation, while also sitting as acting district judge in Orange and Windsor counties.

He was executive director of the Vermont Sentencing Commission from 2007-2008, and served in the Vermont House of Representatives for eight years as a member of the House Judiciary Committee.